WW domains are protein modules that bind proline-rich ligands. WW domain-ligand complexes are of importance as they have been implicated in several human diseases such as muscular dystrophy, cancer, hypertension, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases. We report the results of a protein array aimed at mapping all the human WW domain protein-protein interactions. Our biochemical approach integrates parallel synthesis of peptides, protein expression, and high-throughput screening methodology combined with tools of bioinformatics. The results suggest that the majority of the bioinformatically predicted WW peptide ligands and most WW domains are functional, and that only about 10% of the measured domain-ligand interactions are positive. The analysis of the WW domain protein arrays also underscores the importance of the amino acid residues surrounding the WW ligand core motifs for specific binding to WW domains. In addition, the methodology presented here allows for the rapid elucidation of WW domain-ligand interactions with multiple applications including prediction of exact WW ligand binding sites, which can be applied to the mapping of other protein signaling domain families. Such information can be applied to the generation of protein interaction networks and identification of potential drug targets. To our knowledge, this report describes the first protein-protein interaction map of a domain in the human proteome.

One of the key factors that may influence employees’ perceptions of involvement is organizational climate. This article examines the relationship between employee perceptions of involvement and organizational climate. Data were collected using a survey of 269 employees of an information technology company. The authors argue that employee involvement is composed of three essential variables, namely, participation in decision making, teamwork, and communications. Three hierarchical regression analyses were carried out with each of the employee perception of involvement variables as dependent variables. Employee demographic data, employee affective attitudes (job satisfaction, commitment, and stress), and three dimensions of organizational climate (bureaucracy, innovation, and support) were entered into the regression analyses. The results showed that supportive climates and commitment significantly predicted each of the employee involvement variables. The results are related to current research literature on organizational climate and involvement, and the implications for managers are discussed.

SummarySpores of a thymine-requiring strain of Bacillus subtilis 168, which is also temperature sensitive for the initiation of chromosome replication, were germinated and allowed to grow out at the permissive temperature in a minimal medium containing no added thymine. Under these conditions, there was no or very limited progression into the elongation phase of the ®rst round of replication. In a signi®cant proportion of the outgrown cells, a Z ring formed precisely at mid-cell and over the centrally positioned nucleoid, leading eventually to the formation of a mature division septum. When initiation of the ®rst round of replication was blocked through a temperature shift and with thymine present, the Z ring was positioned acentrally. The central Z ring that formed in the absence of thymine was blocked by the presence of a DNA polymerase III inhibitor. It is concluded that the very early stages of a round of replication (initiation plus possibly limited progression into the elongation phase) play a key role in the precise positioning of the Z ring at mid-cell and between replicating daughter chromosomes.

The findings highlight factors that are important in considering effective prevention and intervention of workplace aggression among nursing staff, particularly those working in hospital settings.

H Hu um ma an n R Re es so ou ur rc ce e M Ma an na ag ge em me en nt t, , Summer 2007, Vol. 46, No. 2, Pp. 265-284 © practices and policies between public-sector organizations and private companies in many countries across the world (Budhwar & Boyne, 2004, Rodwell & Teo, 2004. Therefore, the current study contributes to this body of literature by examining the involvement of HR departments in commercialized and noncommercialized public-sector entities and their perceived level of performance by senior line managers, a key stakeholder of the HRM function. More specifically, this article tests a model of the effect of the transfer of HR activities to line management on the strategic influence and performance of the HR department.The next sections of this article explore the public-sector HR function, the pressures to be strategic about HRM, and the forces toward the transfer of HR to line management. Moving toward strategic HRM usually implies the strategic integration of HR, with the end result that all of these factors drive perceptions of the HR function's performance. The remaining sections then review the methods and the results. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed by considering the status and influence of HR departments and their relationship with line management in the process of strategic decision making. Commercialization: A Context of Change for HRM DepartmentsFrom the mid-1980s, a reform movement to change public-sector management practices has grown in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries (Hood, 1995). This reform movement emphasizes issues of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in public services and is often known as new public management (Lonti & Verma, 2003). The elements of NPM underpin much of the move toward commercialization of the public sector. Growing evidence of the impact of the push toward NPM includes many changes to organizational structures, systems, and processes, such as restructuring, performance auditing, and privatization of state-owned entities (Osborne & Gaebler, 1992). Examples of commercialized public-sector entities include organizations, such as utilities, that are owned by the government yet operate as strategically independent entities. In many cases, these commercialized public-sector entities operate as if they had been privatized even though they are government-owned.Historically, personnel systems in the public sector have been highly regulated due to a preoccupation with eliminating corruption and partisan abuses (Coggburn, 2001). Under NPM, the management of people, resources, and programs in order to achieve results and outcomes replaces the administration of activities, procedures, and regulations (Lonti & Verma, 2003). Subsequently, NPM has profound implications for HRM in the public sector, including demands to become more flexible and responsive to the needs of line managers (Hays & Kearney, 2001). These newly structured public-sector agencies often adopt new HR strategies (such as t...